"Do you mean a lamp that will not explode the gas, although it has enough oxygen to 'support combustion,' as you say?"
"Exactly. Have you ever heard of the Humphrey Davy lamp? Well, that was invented to meet the very condition found here."
"Tell us about it."
"In 1816 Davy discovered that a flame would not pass through a fine wire gauze, while conducting some experiments. It occurred to him that use[p. 159] could be made of this discovery by surrounding the flame of a lamp with gauze, and the well-known lamp was built on that principle."
"What I am curious to know is, that if it will not burn the gas, will it go out if it gets down in the gas?"
"Yes; because enough air, or oxygen must go through the mesh to support combustion of the flame itself. If it does not get enough it is smothered."
"Then why not make a lamp of that kind?"
"But where can we get enough gauze to make a cylinder big enough to go around a lamp?"